


Winter Sunlight

by JasmineTeaLatte



Series: The Phoenix and the Dragon [8]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Domestic Fluff, Drinking, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Mild Sexual Content, Non-Graphic Violence, Southern Water Tribe, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:06:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25741048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasmineTeaLatte/pseuds/JasmineTeaLatte
Summary: In the months leading up to their wedding, Zuko joins Katara and their friends for a return visit to the Southern Water Tribe, discovering where a Fire Lord fits in amidst the ice and snow.Set during the GAang's visit referenced at the beginning of Ch. 4 in "Phoenix and Dragon."
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong, Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: The Phoenix and the Dragon [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847290
Comments: 31
Kudos: 185





	1. Reunions and Spirits

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea floating around in my head when I was writing the second engagement scene in Ch. 4 of “Phoenix and Dragon,” but I ultimately cut it due to lack of time. Now that I’ve had a breather since then, here’s what you didn’t see before and after Katara received her engagement present...

Zuko blinked in surprise as they finally started to descend from the clouds to the icy white tundra below.

Instead of several solitary huts like the last time when he'd visited a few years ago, there now were numerous houses and buildings spread out below.

He heard they’d even built a cafeteria or two featuring traditional Southern Water Tribe cuisine, and he thought he also saw a few snowy parks as well.

He knew they'd made a lot of progress since then, but he was surprised by how much it had grown.

It was futile, but his eyes also scanned for a particular house that he knew everything about but had never seen before. 

“That’s the South Pole?” he asked, impressed. “Wow... I never would have recognized it.”

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Toph asked, and he found himself agreeing before he realized the trap.

He scowled at her as the others laughed. Then he suddenly felt sick as they flew lower and he could make out the shapes of people now as well.

Katara saw the look on his face and reached out to hold his hand, giving it a light squeeze.

“Are you okay?” she asked, and he shook his head. "We've still got a few minutes. Want to talk?"

Again he shook his head.

They’d already discussed what would happen if no one accepted his apology for his behavior from years ago, so there was no point bringing it up now. Instead, he just sighed and looked down.

She scooted up beside him and gave his shoulder a quick kiss.

“Whatever happens, I’m with you,” she said softly. “We all are. Right guys?”

The others echoed their agreement, but it did nothing to quell his pounding heart.

He forced himself to breathe in deeply, exhaling a few small flames. He may have earned her father’s respect and approval, and even though his had been the most important, that was still just one person.

Zuko now had to figure out how he was going to win over the rest of the tribe as well.

~*~*~

Kanna stood beside Pakku at the front of the crowd gathered by the docks to greet her grandchildren.

Her face brightened when she saw the outline of the Avatar’s sky bison come into focus high up above, descending from the clouds.

This would certainly be an interesting visit, indeed. A week or so prior they’d received a message letting them know that the Avatar, his earthbending teacher, and both of her grandchildren's future spouses would be joining them as well.

She was pleased to hear that the Fire Lord would make his return to the Southern Water Tribe in a better fashion this time around. Instead of a massive, imposing ship like before, he’d opted to fly in with his friends.

Kanna had already forgiven him in her heart after hearing of everything he’d done for Katara and her family, but she still wanted to see for herself how much he’d allegedly changed in the last few years.

She looked over at Hakoda and smiled when the bison landed, and all of the tribe's children rushed forward to greet them.

The Avatar was the first to hop down, his lemur perched on his shoulder, along with the Earth Kingdom girl who accompanied him when he picked up Katara over a month ago. 

Then Sokka was next, leading Suki, who’d been here once before when they all vouched for the new Fire Lord.

"Dad! Gran Gran! Gran-Pakku!" he called out joyfully.

Kanna noticed her husband's eye twitch at the nickname and allowed herself a light chuckle. The pair rushed forward to meet them in an embrace.

That just left two more, and she glanced over at her son and husband as she hugged Suki, raising an eyebrow.

The rest of the tribe had already been made aware (or rather, warned) who their final visitor was, so at least it wouldn’t come as a total shock.

Then her granddaughter’s grinning face appeared over the side of the saddle, along with a dark-haired young man who looked more terrified than anything.

A hush fell over the crowd when they saw them, but Katara paid them no mind, turning to her companion and whispering something before they descended.

Well, Kanna thought as she inspected the new Fire Lord, at least his hair looked much better. It was longer and a bit shaggy, but it suited him well, much better than that shaved look.

He had grown taller just like her grandchildren and the Avatar had over the years, and instead of an angry scowl, he now looked thoughtful and a bit nervous. _So far, so good._

She also noticed that instead of armor, he wore a thick coat appropriate for the colder climate. She wasn’t sure of the current fashion in the Fire Nation, but he looked less like a Fire Lord and more like an average citizen, albeit one from a richer family.

His clothing was crimson with intricate golden accents, so he wasn’t trying to hide who he was or where he came from. His crown was also nowhere in sight, so he wasn’t shoving his elevated status in their faces, either. _Also a good sign_ , she thought.

His eyes met hers instantly as the pair walked to greet them, and she thought she saw him swallow in trepidation.

 _Even better_.

He waited until Katara had given out her hugs before he bowed politely to Hakoda and Pakku, respectfully addressing them by title.

Then the chief surprised the crowd by pulling him forward into an embrace, drawing murmurs and whispers.

“It’s good to see you again, son,” Hakoda said warmly as he released him, and something told Kanna that he wasn't used to hugs.

He nodded and exchanged a few pleasantries with his future father-in-law, and then at last, the Fire Lord turned to face her directly, somehow looking more scared than before.

Kanna didn’t turn around but she knew many in the crowd had been here for his last visit and were surely eyeing him with contempt. To her surprise, he bowed deepest of all to her.

“Lady Kanna,” he said in that raspy voice she remembered all too well, which had also grown deeper over the years. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior at our last meeting. It was most dishonorable and I hope you can find it in your heart to one day forgive me.”

 _Well then_ , she thought. _He seems alright_. She reached out and took his hands in hers, much to his and the crowd’s astonishment.

“It’s good to see you again, Lord Zuko,” she said solemnly, although she allowed the faintest trace of a smile to wash over her face. “Thank you for taking care of my family, especially my granddaughter.”

His face lit up at the mention of Katara, and if nothing else he seemed to genuinely care about her. Time would tell, but she thought this might work out after all. 

_Besides_ , she thought, _he's rather handsome when he smiles_.

~*~*~

Zuko was the first one up the next morning when the sun crested the horizon. He didn’t feel its rays as strongly here as he did back home, but they still brought him some peace of mind.

He remembered his first dance with Katara, the night a halo formed around the moon, and she’d explained how water was everywhere, even when you couldn’t see it.

Sunlight here in the South Pole was similar - its warmth was fainter, but it was still there.

Aang had been given his own house as the Avatar, and to no one's surprise, Toph opted to stay in it with him. That left Suki and himself occupying the guest rooms at Hakoda's newer home with the rest of his family.

After a quick bath he dressed and waited until he heard someone else move around in the common area before he left his room, coming face to face with her grandmother.

“Oh,” she said quietly. “No one else is usually up this early.”

He shrugged.

“I’ve always risen with the sun,” he said softly. “No matter where I’m at in the world.”

She nodded and inquired how he’d slept, and he told her that he’d never slept better. It was a lie - he rarely slept well the first night in a new place, but he didn't want to be rude.

“Good,” she said. “Are you hungry? I can start breakfast now, or wait until others are up…”

“Oh, um, I can wait, or I can help you.”

Kanna raised an eyebrow.

“Do you cook?”

He held up a hand and twisted his wrist noncommittally.

“I can make tea and bake tarts and cakes, but the actual cooking was Katara’s forte when we were all traveling together before the comet. If nothing else, I can get the campfire started.”

He’d hoped that little joke might at least make her smile, but she just hmphed and walked towards the kitchen. Zuko bit back a groan and resisted the urge to slap his forehead. Fire Lord or not, he was still an awkward turtleduck, apparently.

Then Kanna turned back to look at him expectantly.

“Well? Are you going to light that fire and make tea, or not?”

~*~*~

Before the others woke up and joined them, he somehow managed to keep a conversation going with the older woman, who once upon a time he’d grabbed by the arm.

She inquired how a Fire Lord knew how to bake and prepare tea, and he told her stories of his time working with his uncle at the tea shop in Ba Sing Se.

He’d also finally figured out the set-up to his uncle’s favorite joke and shared it as well, but once again she just hmphed. 

“Your uncle is a member of the same order Pakku is, correct?” she asked, and he nodded.

“He also makes the best tea, and I say that as someone who's not overly fond of it. I actually brought several containers of his own personal stock, if you’d like to try any of them out.”

After she took one sip of Iroh’s jasmine blend specially brewed by the Fire Lord himself, she found herself agreeing.

“I look forward to meeting this uncle of yours someday,” she said, taking another sip. “Was he with you during your last visit?”

At that, Zuko looked down and swallowed a bit louder than he’d meant to. She sized him up and noted that he looked rightfully ashamed.

She’d already forgiven him on a superficial level, but now she wanted to know how sincere his apology yesterday had been.

“You didn’t think I wasn’t ever going to bring that up again, did you?” she asked, and he shook his head.

“No… I was waiting for it,” he said softly. “I’ve been debating on what to say, and I still don’t have the words. All I can say is that I’m truly, deeply sorry for who I used to be. I regret everything I did during my last visit. There was simply no excuse.”

She nodded.

“Apology accepted, Fire Lord Zuko,” she said with a hint of a smile.

He just looked at her, confused.

“That’s it?” he asked. “I mean, I grabbed your arm and scared you-”

“Yes, you did,” she nodded. “You also kept your word and didn’t attack anyone or burn down the village, even though it would have been very easy for you to do so.”

She took another sip of tea.

“You also eventually saw the error of your ways and did a number of great things for my family, like saving my son from prison and reuniting him with my grandchildren, and you helped my granddaughter receive closure regarding her mother’s death.”

Kanna surprised him further by lightly patting his shoulder.

“Not to mention, you eventually put your own life on the line to save her,” she said solemnly. “If nothing else, that convinced me that you were not the same man you were before. I’m happy that you’ll be joining our family.”

He felt himself get a little choked up.

“Thank you,” he whispered, and she nodded in understanding.

She poured them both another cup of tea, and he felt himself slowly feeling more at ease around her.

“Katara told me the story of how you used to live in the Northern Water Tribe,” he said, taking a sip. “She also told me why you left, how you wanted your own daughter or granddaughter to have the freedom to become a waterbending master, not just a healer.”

Kanna nodded.

“You should be proud of her,” he said softly, his features softening. “She's a gifted healer as well, but she really is one of the most magnificent waterbenders I’ve ever known. Her mastery over the water is just... it's breathtaking. Before we left the Fire Nation to come here, she showed everyone in the palace just how spectacular she really is.”

She glanced down in silence before looking over at him.

“Do they like my granddaughter?” she asked simply. “Will they accept her?”

He frowned slightly.

“The palace staff absolutely adores her,” he said. “So do many of the common citizens. Most of the nobles still aren’t convinced, but then again they don’t like me that much, either. However, that was the one thing I put my foot down on when I stepped up as Fire Lord. I’ll allow criticism of myself, but I will not tolerate anyone disrespecting her, even if it’s the most minute slight.”

Kanna nodded.

“Sounds like she’s in good hands,” was all she said, and Zuko truly hoped she meant it.

~*~*~

Eventually, Pakku and the others joined them as well, until only Katara was absent.  
  
At long last, the pelt hanging in the doorway of her room opened up, and it was as welcome to him as the brightest sunrise. He learned later that she’d actually been up for a while but wanted to give him the chance to interact on his own with his future in-laws.

“Good morning!” Katara chirped as she walked in, positively glowing, and his heart practically sang at the sight of her.

She gave Zuko a quick peck on the cheek before she sat down next to him in front of the fire pit. He couldn’t stop the dreamlike smile on his face, which didn’t go unnoticed by the others. 

“Have you been up long?” she asked him, and he nodded. 

“Since sunrise. Your grandmother and I enjoyed a nice, long overdue conversation.” 

Katara raised an eyebrow at glanced over at Kanna as she leaned forward and started filling up her plate. 

“Oh? How did that go, Gran Gran?” she asked, suddenly a bit nervous.

Kanna also raised an eyebrow, and Zuko decided it must be a family trait. 

“Well, I learned he can make a decent cup of tea but he couldn’t tell a joke if his life depended on it,” she declared.

It was that moment he discovered where the sarcasm originated from in their family as well. He blushed as the others chuckled, and Katara gave him a playful wink. 

“Which one was it?” Katara asked. “It wasn’t that ‘leaf me alone’ one, was it?” 

He nodded, embarrassed, and she cracked up, shaking her head as his friends groaned. 

“Oh, that one is _terrible,”_ Sokka bemoaned. 

"You're one to talk," Zuko retorted, but he grinned all the same. “Your jokes aren’t any better.”

"Maybe so, but come on, buddy. Even I know that one is lame."

Zuko shrugged again as his face turned completely scarlet. 

“You certainly inherited your uncle’s sense of humor,” Pakku said dryly, although there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Not even Iroh can pull that one off.”

~*~*~

Together, they carried on a pleasant conversation throughout breakfast, although Zuko didn’t contribute to it much. Instead, he found himself listening to the others, especially Katara, discuss life in the village and the daily challenges they faced.

His eyes crinkled up slightly as he listened to her talk completely in her own element. He loved how she became more animated on certain projects that were near to her heart, like the waterbending school she started with Pakku and the healing classes she taught. 

It was just one of the many things he loved about her, and for the millionth time he thought to himself that once she'd settled in, she'd make a perfect Fire Lady.

A small part of him wished he wasn’t who he was, though, and that he’d been born a member of the Water Tribes. In another lifetime he could have met her and lived with her in her homeland. Then again, would she have even fallen for him in that case?

He knew that he’d still love her whether he’d been born an Earth Kingdom citizen or from the Water Tribes, but she also once said she preferred a relationship with sparks.

It would have made their courtship much easier if he’d been from one of the tribes, he mused, but she probably wouldn’t have fallen for him in the first place.

“Zuko? Did you hear that?”

He was suddenly brought back to the present when he realized the others were now looking at him. He shook his head and apologized, saying something about being lost in thought, but he knew it was obvious to them that he’d been watching Katara the entire time. 

Zuko blushed slightly as her father gave him a knowing look and repeated the question.

“I said, what are your plans for today?” the chief asked, sipping his tea.

Hakoda made a mental note that perhaps they should start a trade involving Iroh’s tea. He could get used to drinking this every day.

“Oh… well, I was leaving everything open-ended,” Zuko replied. “I do want to meet with the villagers one-on-one at some point to see what they need the most right now, but mainly I was going to follow your lead.”

“We’ve been in correspondence about reparations,” Hakoda said lightly. “You don’t trust me?”

Zuko shook his head.

“I do, but I also want your people to know, like I’ve done with my own, that I care on a personal level about what they want and need. I listen to advisors and leaders, but above all else it’s my responsibility to serve the people directly.”

Hakoda nodded at this and smiled.

“Agreed. What else do you plan to do during your visit?”

Zuko paused, thinking.

“I’d like to experience everything I can about the culture, mainly. Then at some point I also want to practice sword fighting against Sokka, since I’ve gotten a bit rusty-”

‘Swordbending rematch, yeah!” Sokka interjected, punching his arm enthusiastically.

The chief smiled as Zuko rolled his eyes and muttered how there was no such thing as swordbending. 

“I know some of my warriors want to spar with you one-on-one at some point as well,” he said. “They’ve heard about your skills with the broadswords, and they want to see if you can still hold your own without using bending.”

Zuko wore the faintest hint of a smirk.

“They might be surprised,” he said casually, taking another sip of his tea. “I look forward to sparring with them.”

“Anything else?”

Zuko hesitated for a second.

“I may be overstepping boundaries here, but I’ve heard Katara talk about the ice dodging challenge and how that’s a rite of passage,” he said calmly, although his heart started pounding. “I also know it can be an initiation to become an honorary member of the tribe.”

The others nodded as he continued.

“I know outsiders normally don’t get to decide whether or not they participate in the challenge… but I’d like to try, if you think that’s appropriate.”

“I’d like to try as well,” Suki chimed in. “I know I don’t have to, but it would mean a lot to both of us since we’re marrying into the tribe.”

The members of the Water Tribe exchanged solemn glances with each other. Finally, Hakoda spoke.

“It’s unusual but not unheard of for outsiders to request initiation into the tribe, especially by completing the ice dodging challenge,” he said. “Then again, we’ve never had a Kyoshi Warrior, much less a Fire Lord, ask to take it.”

He looked at Pakku and his mother, and the three elders nodded.

“I think that can be arranged,” he said after a pause. “You both will have to stand before the tribe and announce your intentions, and I’ll have to meet with others to decide who will take you both out and when… but I think that would be the best way to win them over.”

Katara and Sokka immediately volunteered to be on their team, but Hakoda shook his head.

“I’m afraid that you two will have to sit this one out, as will I,” he explained. “Due to the unorthodox nature of this particular attempt, I don’t want there to be any perceived nepotism. Suki and Zuko will be on their own with whoever chooses to take them.”

They all nodded, and Zuko spoke once more.

“Finally…” he said, his heart pounding again. “Once I’ve earned the tribe’s respect, I want to give Katara my engagement present, and I’d like to propose again.”

Kanna raised an eyebrow.

“Again?” she asked, and Zuko nodded.

He explained how he’d done the first proposal and how this time, he wanted her to be surrounded by friends and family in the snow. 

“It’s unusual to ask twice, I know…” he said, shrugging.

“But then again, we’ve never had a Fire Lord propose to a master waterbender before,” Pakku said, stroking his chin. “Everything about this engagement is unorthodox, but water is the element of change, after all.”

~*~*~

The first night after dinner, six friends settled beside a campfire outside, passing around bottles of Fire Nation whiskey and Southern Water Tribe vodka while sharing stories about their day.

To Zuko’s surprise, Katara downed a shot of the latter with ease, although she still turned her nose up at the whiskey.

“Really?” he asked incredulously, smiling.

She scoffed and took another shot.

“I never said I didn’t like alcohol,” she sniffed. “Here, you try it. I promise it’s better than yours.”

He took a shot and grimaced at first, but after several minutes he took another sip.

“It’s alright,” he said shrugging, and she giggled, poking his ribs.

Katara had opted to help Pakku out at his waterbending school, while Toph and Suki spent the better part of the day exploring the newly renovated Southern Water Tribe. After that, they planned to train with Hakoda's warriors alongside Sokka or visit the waterbending school.

They were along for the ride, Suki said, so they were up for anything the South Pole had to offer.

Aang would alternate between helping out at the school, meeting with the villagers alongside Zuko and Hakoda, and meditating.

One of his goals during this visit was to start bridging the void between the Southern Water Tribe and the Spirit World, since decades of attacks and raids had all but eradicated the balance.

It became part of their routine, meeting by the campfire after dinner to discuss everything they'd accomplished that day.

Every night they met, Katara would lean against his shoulder and he'd drape his arm around her, and they laughed and talked with their friends long into the night.

~*~*~

Zuko’s first four days consisted of meeting with nearly all of the villagers in the great hall alongside Hakoda, nodding and taking notes as he listened to them speak.

He ate lunch with Hakoda at the cafeterias in the village, and while their food wasn't nearly spicy enough for his taste, it was still hearty and filling.

After the first day or so, Zuko thought that some of tribe was finally warming up to his presence somewhat, although they all still seemed on edge.

He knew this must be how Katara had felt when she first arrived in the palace.

He also knew no matter how much progress he made during this trip, he still had a few lifetimes of sins to overcome before they’d fully trust him, if ever.

No one referred to him by name or his proper title outside of his circle, though, instead calling him "Fire Lord."

He was as polite and charming as he could be, and he eventually received a smile or two instead of frowns.

But he knew in his heart they would probably never see him as one of them.

~*~*~

The third night, he found himself standing with several others in the tribe outside in the bitter cold as snow fell, looking up at the full moon in awe.

"Do you know what that is, Fire Lord?" asked one of the elders, and he nodded.

"It's a winter halo," he said, not taking his eyes off of the ring circling the celestial body above. "It's when moonlight shines through water crystals in the sky."

Katara grinned as she stood beside him, slipping her arms around his waist, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders to keep her warm.

Both remembered that special night half a year ago back at his family's beach house, when against all odds one formed as they danced together for the first time.

Several of the others looked at each other in mild surprise. They wondered how a Fire Lord of all people knew about a phenomena that only occurred in cold climates, but they assumed Katara must have told him.

They all stood watching the moon for a few hours in reverent silence. Then one by one, they went back inside until only the two of them remained.

The last person to leave before them paused.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked, and they shook their heads.

When she was gone, Katara stood on her tiptoes and kissed him for a long time.

"Love you," she whispered, shivering in spite of herself and holding him tighter to absorb some of his warmth.

His golden eyes shone almost silver in the moonlight, and he pulled her in for another deep kiss.

"Love you too," he whispered back.

~*~*~

The next day, Aang interrupted their daily forum to announce that he'd successfully made contact with Southern Water Tribe spirits from long ago.

"That's wonderful!" Zuko said with a wide smile, giving his friend a clap on the back. "I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it."

Several villagers who'd been present for his first visit exchanged looks with each other. They'd heard the Avatar and the Fire Lord had become friends over the years, but it was still strange to see their camaraderie.

"Avatar Aang, does this mean what I think it means?" asked one of the elders, and he nodded excitedly.

"I think so... I'm not completely positive, but I'm taking a small party out tonight to see."

The villagers murmured amongst themselves, but Zuko was confused.

"Wait... what does it mean?" he asked, feeling stupid.

They all quieted down and looked expectantly at the Avatar, who turned to him.

"I don't want to say yet, just in case it doesn't work," he said. "But I think all of us should go, because if it does, it'll be unlike anything you've ever seen before. I know Sokka and Katara will definitely want you and Suki to be there."

~*~*~

That evening, five of the friends along with a small group from the tribe ventured out into the dark. Like the previous night, Toph opted out since the trip would be wasted on her and decided to stay in the warm buildings instead.

No one would explain to Zuko or Suki what to expect, and both looked at each other in confusion when their group finally stopped beside a solitary fire pit in the snow.

The stars sparkled in the black sky and the moon was absolutely luminous, but they'd already seen that countless times before - just not at the South Pole.

Sokka asked him to light the fire, and he demonstrated his bending in front of the villagers for the first time since his arrival. Immediately they huddled around it, some even giving him grateful nods.

They sat around the campfire for some time, talking and sharing stories, until finally Aang pointed to somewhere behind him.

"There it is!" he exclaimed, and Zuko whipped his head around.

Then he gasped, along with the others as the Southern Lights danced to life overhead for the first time in decades.

He tried to find the words to speak, but found he couldn't. They stood, watching in amazement as the green and purple waves swirled amongst the moon and stars.

"It's the spirits dancing across the sky," Aang explained to their group. "They've finally returned to the Southern Water Tribe after too many years. I've still got a lot of work left to do, but-"

"You did this?" Zuko interrupted in spite of himself, his voice thick. "It's beautiful."

For some reason, he wanted to cry.

Sokka noticed and elbowed his arm. Suki stood on his other side, her gloved hands clasped over her mouth as she too was overwhelmed by the sight.

"You okay there, buddy?" he asked with a grin, although he was also a little choked up.

Zuko nodded, not looking away. He felt Katara embrace him and once again he wrapped his arms around her, still watching the lights overhead. She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful before?" she whispered, giving him a squeeze.

He finally glanced down just for a moment and smiled at her, noting how her eyes were filled with happy tears.

"Besides you?" he replied softly, earning him a tender kiss.

Sokka took Suki in his arms as well, keeping her warm as they all gazed at the heavens in awe.

"Great job, Aang," he said, and the others nodded.

The Avatar smiled, but after a few minutes they heard him sigh.

"I just wish Toph could see this," he murmured.

~*~*~

After a long silence, one of the villagers spoke.

"Many lifetimes have passed since we've had Southern Lights. They disappeared once the tribe's spiritual connections were broken and the world was thrown out of balance. But this is a sign that the world is finally starting to heal, thanks to the Avatar."

A tear actually did slip from the corner of Zuko's eye then as he looked skywards, which did not go unnoticed by the villagers, who exchanged tiny smiles with each other.

Together they stayed out for a long time, admiring the dancing lights, until the campfire finally died down.

Afterwards they trudged back through the snow huddled together, with Zuko and Aang holding flames in the palms of their hands to illuminate the way.

Word quickly spread throughout the village the next morning of the reappearance of the spirits.

Many were also impressed and pleasantly surprised to hear that a Fire Lord had been moved to tears by the beauty of the Southern Lights.


	2. Dragon and Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A.K.A. the chapter where the Fire Lord gets his ass kicked (while still cementing his reputation as a badass amongst the Southern Water Tribe's warriors) and has the Most Awkward Turtleduck Moment EVER.

Zuko’s fifth day began with a practice match against Sokka on the training grounds while the chief and his warriors watched.

Katara took a break from teaching at Pakku’s that morning and stopped by to watch, bringing Suki in tow so they could cheer on their respective fiancés.

Toph decided to hang out with Aang at the school instead, away from the cold.

She insisted she was enjoying herself, but having to keep her feet covered at all times to protect from the snow and ice threw her earthbending senses off-balance.

At least inside she could have some semblance of normalcy - plus she secretly sought out any excuse to spend more time with Aang, even though both of them would vehemently deny it if you asked.

They were just friends. The thought of them liking each other in that way was utterly, _utterly_ preposterous.

~*~*~

Even though Sokka kept up with Zuko, it was apparent to everyone watching that he was clearly outmatched, although the two friends were still clearly having fun.

Zuko left his armor back at the palace, but they found a spare set for him to practice in.

It was a bit more comfortable, he noted, and it kept him much warmer than his own had during his last visit. He still wasn't sold on the wolf helmets, though, and opted to go without.

 _I could get used to fighting in this_ , he thought.

Katara also seemed to like whenever he wore blue, and seeing that certain suggestive smile on her face was always worth it.

After a while, the warrior known as Bato leaned over and whispered something to Hakoda, who raised an eyebrow but nodded. Then Bato moved amongst the warriors, speaking in hushed tones, and they too all nodded when they heard what he had to say.

Sokka sighed loudly when he found himself disarmed and facing the pointy end of a broadsword yet again.

“You’re doing great buddy, but you keep looking at where your next strike will land, giving me a heads up each time,” Zuko advised before handing his friend his sword again.

Then they heard a throat clearing.

They turned to see Bato stood nearby, holding an axe expectantly.

“I’d like to face off against the Fire Lord, if he’s interested,” he said politely, bowing his head slightly.

Zuko grinned and bowed his head as well.

“I’d be honored,” he said.

Sokka gave Suki a quick kiss when he joined the others on the sidelines, settling in to watch the duel.

"You were great," she whispered, grinning as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. "You're really coming along."

They then turned their attention to the match on the field nearby.

~*~*~

The two men circled each other, weapons drawn as they sized up their opponent.

“So you’re Bato,” Zuko said. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about you.”

“Unfortunately, most of them are true,” he chuckled. “I’ve heard you’re pretty skilled with broadswords, although you're not nearly as good as when you're bending.”

Zuko tilted his head, frowning. 

“I can manage pretty well,” he replied. “Enough so that I don’t even need to use firebending sometimes.”

“But what threat is a dragon without fire?” Bato taunted, enjoying himself far too much.

“A dragon without fire still has teeth and claws,” Zuko retorted, biting back a smirk. “You’re about to find out just how sharp mine are.”

~*~*~

They were both closely matched, although it was clear the older warrior was holding back somewhat.

Katara kept cheering for Zuko from the sideline, and he noticed her brother had gone all in on "Team Water Tribe."

At least it was better than the nickname Sokka used for their team during the match involving all four elements back in the Fire Nation. Zuko still wanted to roll his eyes as he remembered his friend cheering for “Team Steam,” complete with sizzling sound effects.

He was brought back to the present as he dodged and countered a blow that would have been deadly had it not been a practice match.

Then he realized the older warrior had stopped and was panting slightly.

“Is that it?” Zuko taunted, a little out of breath himself.

“It is for me,” Bato replied. “But you’re just getting started. Twenty more of my fellow warriors all want a turn against you, Lord Zuko. I’m letting you reserve some of your strength.”

From the sideline, Katara’s eyes widened in realization. 

_Oh no_ , she thought. _Please don’t_...

“So, who else wants to take me on?” Zuko’s voice rang out smugly. “I accept that challenge, if you think you can beat me.”

Katara slapped her palm to her forehead. Of course he’d never turn down a chance to prove himself, especially if he got to show off for her in the process.

Her father wore the faintest trace of a smile as he addressed Zuko directly.

"Before you completely commit to this, you should know exactly what you're getting into," he explained. "My warriors and I have an initiation amongst ourselves whenever a new member joins our ranks. He must first go through what we call a gauntlet challenge, facing off against twenty-one warriors, each right after another. The goal is not necessarily to beat every one that faces you, but to last as long as you can." 

Zuko finally allowed himself to smirk for the first time since his visit, the one he wore whenever he was about to fight and knew Katara secretly loved. 

"Has anyone ever made it all the way to the end?" he asked.

"Only a handful," the chief answered. "Myself, Bato, and several others. The furthest most get is the seventeenth or eighteenth opponent." 

"I like those odds," Zuko said, rolling his neck around, enjoying the crackling sounds.

He looked over at Katara, and she looked absolutely exasperated.

"What’s the matter?” he called out. “You don't think I can do this?" 

"No, I know you'll end up pushing yourself too far to prove a point."

"You know me too well," he shrugged.

She just huffed and crossed her arms, scowling at them all. Hakoda patted his daughter on the shoulder.

"You've never complained about it before," he said.

"I've never had a personal investment in it before, either," she retorted.

Sokka looked offended.

"What about when I underwent the challenge?" he asked. "So it's okay when your brother gets pulverized and taken out at number eighteen, but not your _lover boy_ -"

He was cut off by a water whip smack to the back of the head.

"Shut up," she muttered, cheeks flushing.

Zuko grinned and tied all of his hair back away from his face.

"Look," he said, hoping he could convince her to see this as a good thing. "I get to prove myself as a warrior, and you get to see how good I really am with broadswords. It's a win-win, Katara."

Suki couldn't help herself.

"Come on, I’ve seen the way you’ve been checking him out," she whispered in her ear. “You know you actually want to see this.”

Katara’s face turned red.

"Whose side are you on?" she hissed.

Sokka groaned in disgust. He'd unfortunately heard that.

Meanwhile, Zuko decided to try another approach.

“Remember when I challenged you before the entire palace so you could show everyone how spectacular you truly are?” he asked, and her demeanor softened slightly.

She even had a trace of a smirk. _This could work_... he thought.

“Same principle, sweetheart,” he said with what he hoped was his most disarming smile.

She immediately scowled again and he knew he’d overplayed his hand.

“Don’t _sweetheart_ me,” she retorted. “That was completely different. You’re being ridiculous."

Several warriors standing around them snickered, Sokka and Suki included, as Zuko raised his eyebrow in amusement.

"Not really," he replied lightly. "You know I'm doing this regardless of what you say, right?"

She huffed again and threw her hands in the air.

"Fine... I hope you know that that I’m not healing you when you get hurt,” she threatened.

Zuko just grinned and turned to face his next opponent.

~*~*~

Katara disapproved of her fiancé facing off against her tribe’s warriors one after another, at least in theory.

But she couldn’t stop the smirk of pride tugging at the corner of her lips. She’d only seen him practice against Sokka before; she’d never seen his true potential when it came to the broadswords.

She also knew he'd adopted the persona of the Blue Spirit whenever he used to go undercover, and he'd never used his firebending once when the mask was on. She knew he could handle himself, but she also knew her father's warriors wouldn't go easy on him either.

Still, Katara had to admit she was impressed as she watched him fight, and she knew everyone watching was, too.

In fact, she’d already decided she’d sneak over to Zuko’s bedroom tonight to reward him, if he didn’t pass out into a dead sleep first.

He’d at least earned the warriors’ respect on some level, even if he didn’t defeat all of them. They appreciated the fact that he kept getting back up after they knocked him to the ground and continued fighting long after most would have quit.

A crowd of spectators had gathered by this point, and some of the villagers started taking bets on when he'd give up. To their surprise, he regained his footing every single time and taunted his opponent for more.

One by one he faced them, some he defeated and some completely brutalized him - but the majority of the fights ended in a draw.

He had a few reasons for accepting this challenge. Mainly, he wanted everyone to see that he was fully capable of defending Katara, even though she could take care of herself.

Hakoda had asked him in private before if Katara’s life would be in danger in the Fire Nation, and he’d assured him he would die before he let any harm befall her.

He wanted her father and his warriors to see just how lethal he could be, even without fire, hopefully proving himself worthy of her in the process.

~*~*~

Finally the twenty-first stood before him, and of course they’d saved the biggest, burliest one for last.

Zuko held his broadswords in a defensive pose, breathing heavily as the warrior known as Ashok circled him like wolf stalking its dying prey.

“You’ve fought valiantly, Fire Lord,” Ashok taunted. “You have indeed proven that a dragon is just as deadly with only teeth and claws. But without your fire, you’ll freeze to death in the unforgiving snow.”

To Zuko’s astonishment, the warrior stripped his armor and shirt off and stood before him bare-chested, twirling and brandishing his spear as snow fell around them.

“You see, wolves aren’t so vulnerable to the cold,” Ashok bragged. “We withstand the ice that kills weaker men. Tell me, what’s the coldest experience you’ve ever lived through?”

Zuko realized Katara had been right earlier. This whole thing was absolutely ridiculous, and he was about to make it even more so.

He spun his broadswords in each hand before standing them upright in the snow.

Then everyone watching murmured in surprise as he too removed his armor and the black shirt underneath that he'd worn under the guise of the Blue Spirit. He fought back the urge to shiver as flurries fell on his bare shoulders, and he picked up his swords again.

“There have been three times in my life that I’ve truly felt cold,” he said calmly. “Twice in the North Pole, and the third was when I was incarcerated at the Boiling Rock to help break out Chief Hakoda."

He paused, shivering despite his best efforts.

"Honorable mention goes to this moment,” he added dryly.

That drew a few chuckles from the spectators, although they quickly silenced themselves.

“He’s told us about the Coolers,” Ashok said. “After just one day inside, a firebender is unable to produce fire for at least a week.”

Zuko didn’t try to hide his smirk now.

“That’s right, and I still had full mastery of mine the moment I was released,” he bragged, soaking in the whispers of amazement from the crowd.

“Impressive,” Ashok agreed, nodding his head. “What about the other two times, up at the North Pole?”

Zuko’s lip twitched.

“Before I continue, you’re all aware that I had nothing to do with Zhao’s plan to kill the moon spirit and was only there to capture the Avatar on my own, correct?”

They nodded, and he was relieved that he could continue without worrying about offending them. He explained how Zhao had tried to have him killed, and how he’d just barely survived the explosion meant to assassinate him.

Then he explained how he’d nearly drowned and frozen to death infiltrating the Northern Water Tribe, submerged in its frigid water for almost half an hour, and how he’d still faced off against Katara before eventually escaping with Aang into the frozen tundra.

As expected, they all gaped at him, stunned.

“You’re lying,” Ashok sputtered. “No one can survive that long in freezing waters, much less someone who’d barely survived an explosion not long before.”

Zuko just smirked, and his golden eyes glittered.

“ _I_ did. It takes far more than fire or ice to kill me.”

His opponent eyed him warily.

“Are you boasting, Fire Lord?" he asked coolly.

“It’s not boasting if it’s the truth,” Zuko retorted, his smirk growing.

He heard more whispers of disbelief from the crowd, and out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw Katara smirking a bit as well.

“Yeah, that actually happened,” Sokka called out from the sidelines. “Right after the siege, we found where he’d snuck in.”

Zuko nodded to his friend before facing the warrior in front of him once more.

“You see, Ashok,” he said, “Long before I fell in love with a master waterbender, I learned to respect the sea and the cold. Water is everywhere and completely surrounds us all, even when you can’t see it. Water gives life, but it also drowns and freezes it to death just as easily. I respect the water in all of its forms, but I don’t fear it.”

He could tell he’d impressed them with his words, which was good because he wanted to wrap this up soon. It’s true he didn’t fear water or even the cold, but he was absolutely freezing now.

He'd made a point of not using any firebending during the challenge, not even to warm himself, and he’d probably end up sick once this was all over. 

“Tell us then, what do you fear?” Hakoda called from the sidelines, and several of his warriors, as well as some members of the crowed, chorused in agreement.

Zuko smiled tiredly, turning to face Katara and her father directly.

“There’s only one thing I fear now,” he said, his voice ringing out as he gestured to the scar on his chest that he’d carry for the rest of his life. “This is proof of how far I’m willing to go and what I’m willing to sacrifice to prevent that from happening.”

He winked at Katara, who’d clasped her hands over her heart and looked stunned, and he turned around to face Ashok once more. The warrior finally gave him a sincere nod of respect.

“One last question,” he said, gesturing to the lightning scar. “Just how painful was it?”

Zuko smiled grimly.

“As you’re all aware, waterbenders can still drown, earthbenders can still be suffocated, and firebenders can still get burned,” he said. “When I took the lightning for her, I burned alive from the inside out… and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.”

He saw the astonishment on Ashok’s face and heard the gasps of shock from the spectators, and he knew he’d finally earned their respect as a warrior completely.

“Now, are you actually going to fight me, or are you just going to stand around talking all day in the snow?” he taunted, whirling both broadswords in each hand and moving once again to a defensive position.

~*~*~

Just as he’d expected, Zuko got beaten to a pulp shortly thereafter, but he did at least land several good hits on Ashok before it was all over.

It truly would have been a miracle if he’d been able to pull off a victory, but after fighting twenty of Hakoda’s warriors beforehand, it just wasn’t possible.

He'd been hit, bruised, and sliced all over, and the cold just made his injuries hurt worse. But still he fought on, until the warrior finally decided to put a stop to things before Zuko killed himself in the process.

At the end he found himself kicked backwards into the snow, wiping blood away from his busted lip, broadswords knocked clean from his hands several feet away.

He winced, wrapping an arm over his ribs from where his opponent’s boot had kicked them, and he knew if this had been a real fight they’d be broken.

Ashok stood over him, holding his spear an inch from his chest, right above his heart.

“Do you yield, Lord Zuko?” he asked, finally using his title without a trace of disdain.

The Fire Lord just smirked and leaned closer, letting the blade prick his skin enough to draw a single drop of blood.

“Never,” he panted, noting the bewilderment on the warrior’s face, who then looked over to the sidelines for guidance.

Zuko’s eyes followed and saw Katara was being held back by Sokka and Suki, and he knew she would absolutely kill him when this was all over. But he’d finally proven himself to the men of her tribe, and so he thought it was all worth it.

Hakoda looked at them both solemnly, then nodded.

"End it."

Ashok threw his spear aside, and before he could attack, Zuko knocked his legs out from underneath him, sending him crashing into the snow.

Of course his opponent immediately regained his footing at the same time he did, although he wasn’t swaying like him. Also, since when were there two more of him?

Then he felt Ashok’s fist connect with the underside of his jaw, and he blacked out, collapsing into the snow.

~*~*~

When he came to, he was lying on his back with his coat under him to protect his bare skin from frostbite. His head rested in Katara’s lap as she healed his numerous cuts and bruises, despite her earlier threats not to.

His friends, the chief, and all of the Water Tribe warriors knelt in a circle around them, watching to see if he’d wake up. Once he was conscious again, they started cheering and congratulating him. 

“Are you okay?” he heard Katara ask nervously from above, and he nodded.

Then he cringed as she finally unleashed her fury, quickly silencing the rest. 

“You idiot!” she shouted, swatting at his shoulder, and he hissed at the pain. “Oh, that hurts? I bet it does. This is the third dumbest thing you’ve ever done since I’ve known you. I’m so mad that I could freeze you solid and send you to the bottom of the ocean!”

He just smiled and closed his eyes as she continued her rant, listening to the others badly suppressing their laughter around them. It wasn’t the first time she’d been furious with him and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“This is only the third?” Hakoda asked, chuckling. “What were the other two?” 

Katara huffed as she explained how back at the North Pole, he’d had the gall to take her on under the light of the full moon completely surrounded by snow.

“And the second?” he heard someone ask from the crowd.

Zuko’s eyes flew open in time to see the faint blush on her cheeks. He bit back a smirk as he listened to her mutter about how he’d pushed himself too much too soon about a week after the lightning, and how his heart nearly gave out.

She left out just _what_ he’d done to push himself too far, he noted with amusement, which was a good thing since her father and brother probably would pummel him to death right then and there.

Then to his horror, her father made the connection anyway when he saw her blush and the looks on both of their faces, and he narrowed his eyes.

~*~*~

Zuko felt all of the blood rush to his face and realized he was _finally_ about to die, and it would be a very painful death, indeed.

However, the chief just pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed instead, closing his eyes.

Sokka looked at his father in confusion, then back at Zuko’s scarlet face, and he looked like he was about to figure it out as well.

Luckily Suki whispered something in his ear to distract him. Of course Katara had told her all of the glorious details, and she preferred for her future brother-in-law not to die right then and there.

But a few other warriors standing nearby also put two and two together, judging by their badly concealed grins. One even had the audacity to wink at him.

Unfortunately Hakoda saw that as well, and the warrior gulped before nodding his head back in Zuko’s direction.

It was almost as if he was saying at least _he_ wasn’t the one who’d slept with the chief’s daughter.

Hakoda resumed glaring down at Zuko, who suddenly wished he’d receive an uppercut to the jaw again and get knocked out cold. That seemed like the less painful outcome.

The chief had had his suspicions long before now, back when he’d given his blessing, actually – but he couldn’t resist the urge to make his future son-in-law sweat just a little. It was part of his job as her father, obviously.

Also, it's not every day one had the opportunity to intimidate the Fire Lord, right?

Katara noticed her father’s scowl and her face turned completely crimson as well.

“I’m so mad at all of you,” she huffed again loudly to create a distraction. “Honestly, I don’t understand you men sometimes.”

That lightened the mood, at least enough so the chief didn’t look like he wanted to beat him within an inch of his life anymore.

Hakoda shook his head and chuckled.

“For what it’s worth, I think it’s safe to say he passed the test and earned the respect of every Southern Water Tribe warrior. I believe that makes him an honorary member of our Wolf Pack. What do you say, men?”

Their cheers deafened him, and Zuko noticed the faintest smile of pride flash across Katara’s face. That made it all worth it, he thought, even though he winced as he slid his shirt back on. 

She slipped her shoulder under his arm when he finally stood, scowling up at him as she helped keep him upright.

“I still can’t believe you did that,” she huffed, but he just winked down at her.

“You’re telling me you weren’t the least bit impressed?” he asked, smirking.

She rolled her eyes but grinned for a second.

“Okay fine, you were indeed very ferocious,” she admitted, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “But you’re still an idiot.”

“What can I say, sweetheart? I’m _your_ idiot.”

She helped him limp along for a few minutes before she spoke again, this time in a whisper.

“By the way, I think my dad-”

“Oh, he _definitely_ knows. I think my uncle’s going to inherit the throne after all.”

~*~*~

Their group arrived back at the waterbending school with Bato, Ashok, and a few other warriors in tow.

When they walked in, Pakku and Aang stopped the class entirely to stare at their motley crew, especially the very disheveled Fire Lord still leaning on Katara’s shoulder.

“What happened to you?” Toph asked.

“You look like you got ripped to shreds by a pack of polar bear dogs,” Aang added.

Katara rolled her eyes.

“More like a pack of wolves,” she said, frowning up at her fiancé. “This idiot decided to prove himself as a man by facing off against twenty-one of my dad's best warriors in a gauntlet challenge.”

Ashok laughed and clapped his hand against Zuko’s free shoulder, who grimaced in spite of himself before he quickly regained his composure.

“I’d say it worked, though, right men?” Bato asked his fellow warriors, who promptly agreed. “He made it all the way to the end. The dragon proved his teeth and claws are just as deadly as his fire.”

The students gossiped amongst themselves, clearly impressed. Even Pakku nodded his head in appreciation.

Katara slid out from under Zuko’s shoulder.

“I need to get back to teaching, but I'll see you later tonight at dinner,” she said. “In the meantime, you should get cleaned up and rest first.”

He frowned down at her.

“Are you mad?” he asked her quietly, relieved when she shook her head.

“I just don’t like seeing you get hurt,” she said softly. “But… you really were amazing out there, Zuko. I’m proud of you.”

His face lit up, even though she immediately jabbed her finger in his sore ribs, causing him to hiss.

“But don’t pull anything like that ever again,” she threatened.

He just gave her a tired grin and leaned down to kiss her.

~*~*~

Katara gently shook him awake several hours later, warning him he was about to sleep through dinner entirely.

Groaning, he rolled out of his bed and dressed, limping into the main room where the others had already started eating.

"How are you feeling?" Hakoda asked, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Never better," he said, sitting down in front of the fire pit with a grunt.

He half-listened to their conversation as he ate, fighting to stay awake, and at more than one point he felt her nudge him to keep him upright.

~*~*~

Once they finally turned in for the evening, he fell into a deep sleep.

At some point in the night he woke up and discovered Katara had crept into his room. She sat on the edge of his bed, delicately brushing his hair away from his face.

"Hi," she whispered. "Feeling any better?" 

He winced as he sat up.

"I've survived worse," he said softly, kissing her. "What are you doing here?"

"Just checking on you and seeing if you wanted company tonight."

 _Oh_ , he thought. _Well in that case_...

"What did you have in mind?" he breathed.

Her eyes gleamed in the dark, and she stood up beside his bed. 

"I’m cold,” was all she whispered, untying her robe and letting it slip to the floor. 

She stifled a giggle at his reaction as the rest of her nightclothes soon followed until she stood bare before him, faintly illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the curtains. 

"I’m cold,” she whispered again with a smirk. “Aren’t you?” 

On the contrary, he felt like he could burst into flames. 

“Absolutely freezing,” he breathed, stripping down as well. “But aren’t you worried the others might hear?” 

Then his breath caught in his throat as she climbed into bed with him and he felt her bare skin against his for the first time since they’d left the Fire Nation a couple of weeks prior.

She slowly kissed her way down his stomach, and he swallowed. 

"We’ll just have to be quiet then,” she murmured, pausing as she reached his navel and winked up at him.

He realized that would be a near-impossible task as he was soon grasping the sheets and using all of his willpower trying not to call out her name.

She brought him closer and closer to the edge, slowing down just before he went over, until he was writhing and on the verge of setting fire to the bed. He knew she was punishing him for earlier, but oh, it was worth it.

At one point he tried to take a more active role, but she carefully forced him back down. 

“Just relax,” she breathed. “Let me take care of you tonight.” 

"Is this what I can expect every time I do something stupid in the future?” he teased. 

To his dismay, she stopped altogether and raised her eyebrow, completely unamused. 

“Sorry, sorry,” he pleaded under his breath. “I’ll behave from now on.” 

“Good,” she whispered with a smirk. “But don’t behave all the time. I like punishing you too much.” 

With that, she resumed and judging by the look of ecstasy on his face, he clearly shared the sentiment.

“No bloodbending tonight?” he whispered a bit later, struggling to keep his voice down. 

She shook her head, smiling. 

“You’d wake up the whole village, so I’m afraid not this time.” 

_Let the whole South Pole wake up_ , he thought. He didn’t really care, but he didn't say so out loud.

It was hard to say anything at the moment - he was too busy concentrating and trying not to come undone right then and there.

After she'd teased him to her heart's content, she straddled his lap. He immediately forgot all of his aches and pains completely once her warmth surrounded him. 

“Love you,” he whispered, and she echoed it breathlessly as her hips rolled over his at a torturously slow pace.

~*~*~

They held each other afterwards, and he had nearly dozed off when he felt her delicately scoot away. Instinctively he reached out and pulled her closer.

“Zuko,” she whispered in amusement. “I’ve got to go back to my bed.”

"Not 'til sunrise,” he mumbled, and she decided that indeed made more sense, settling back under the covers.

He curled up against her, resting his head on her shoulder, and he was vaguely aware of her running her fingers through his hair. 

Once the sky started growing lighter, she gave him a sleepy kiss on the cheek before she sat up.

He was tempted to whine at her absence from his arms, but that wouldn’t be very becoming of a Fire Lord. Instead he sighed, pulling her down for one last embrace and a deep kiss.

Then her side of the bed was suddenly empty as she gathered up her clothes and hastily dressed again. 

“Sweet dreams,” she whispered from somewhere in the darkness above him, and he felt her lips brush against his.

And then she was gone, and all was still and quiet once more, and he finally drifted back off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I asked myself while writing this chapter, what’s the most awkward experience our Awkward Turtle Duck can have? Poor, poor Zuko. That’s going to be a fun convo with his future father-in-law.
> 
> *evil laugh*
> 
> Random bit of trivia about yours truly: When I was a kid I was obsessed with all things wolf-related, especially around the time “Balto” and the film version of “White Fang” came out. 
> 
> The name Ashok is a shout-out to the alpha wolf from one of my favorite books back then, “Wolf Woman” by Sherryl Jordan. Because if you’re going to create the biggest, toughest warrior, he should be named after an alpha wolf, right?


	3. Myths and Trials

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a few liberties with the Fire Nation’s concept of deities, or rather lack thereof. Tui and La are the Water Tribes’ moon and ocean spirits; for the sake of Zuko’s story I gave them their own sun and moon spirits.

The next day he was utterly exhausted and sore in more ways than one, and it was noon when he woke up to an empty house.

Zuko swore when he realized how late it was and hurriedly dressed before he noticed a note from Katara waiting for him.

He skimmed through its contents, which explained how they'd decided to let him rest after facing off against twenty-one warriors the day before.

Once he was up, it read, her father would be waiting for him in the great hall.

He skidded across the icy walkways most ungracefully as he rushed towards the building, throwing open the doors a bit harder than he meant to.

"S-sorry I'm so late," he wheezed, doubling over and wincing slightly as he realized his ribs were still sore, though thankfully not broken.

Katara may have healed the superficial wounds but she had kept part of her word, leaving the aches and soreness to heal on their own. It also looked better for him if he toughed it out, she'd said while rolling her eyes before muttering something about men and their pride.

Fortunately, everyone had heard by now how he'd managed to hold his own against many of the tribe's best warriors without resorting to bending, so they were willing to cut him some slack for sleeping in.

The rest of the day Zuko met with more of the villagers and talked to them not as a Fire Lord or even as their chief’s soon-to-be son-in-law, but as just another person who wanted to understand their world better.

He listened intently and took notes as they described more about their daily life and their traditions. He explained he’d already asked Katara about most of them, but he wanted to know everything they had to teach him.

That seemed to please them, and as the day’s work drew to a close the chief gave him a clap on the back.

“You did well this afternoon,” Hakoda said, smiling as they left the building and started walking back home.

“Thank you,” Zuko replied earnestly, bowing his head.

"How are you feeling?"

"Still sore, but I've definitely survived worse."

"Good," Hakoda said with a glint in his eyes.

He guided him away from the path to his house, instead pointing him in the direction of the training grounds again.

“So… I figured as much when I gave you both my blessing half a year ago, but I still think you and I need to have a nice, long chat concerning my daughter,” he said sternly, noting smugly how the Fire Lord suddenly looked terrified and swallowed loudly.

The chief trusted Zuko completely, of course, and he had no complaints so far with their relationship, truth be told. But he would be remiss if he didn’t perform his due diligence by giving him the patented Father-to-Daughter’s-Suitor-Talk.

Hakoda would leave him alone after this – he just wanted to put the fear of Tui and La and maybe even Agni into him first.

~*~*~

After surviving the most _awkward_ conversation Zuko had ever experienced in his entire life, he joined Katara and the rest of the village in the great hall later that night to share stories.

It was a custom they'd recently started up again, and he enjoyed listening to Southern Water Tribe legends told of long ago. He especially liked hearing all of the bedtime stories that Katara had grown up on, and he thought he'd like to pass those down to their own children one day.

He sat with his arm draped around Katara, hugging her closer as she snuggled up next to him, feeling completely at ease. 

Eventually, there was a pause, and all was quiet for a few minutes. Then an elder turned to look directly at him.

"Lord Zuko, you have heard many of our stories and myths, but now we wish to hear one of yours."

His eyes widened slightly as all sitting near them were now watching him expectantly. He felt his face flush as Katara too looked up at him. 

"I... well, I've never been that good at telling stories," he said nervously. "I don't know of any good ones and the ones I do know are from the Fire Nation."

They pointed out so was he, and again they urged him to share. 

“Listen, buddy,” Sokka said from nearby. “No one is going to judge you if your story is terrible. We will judge you, however, if you don’t tell one at all.”

The others chorused their agreement, and Zuko racked his brain trying to come up with something.

There were his adventures while searching for the Avatar, which probably wouldn’t be received well. Then there were the stories of after he’d defected and joined their side, which he knew they’d already heard.

He could always talk about the many customers he'd served tea to in Ba Sing Se, but none of those felt grand enough for this crowd.

All of the stories he knew from his childhood were highly-embellished tales of his ancestors conquering the world, which he now tried to eradicate and replace with truer accounts. Those _definitely_ wouldn't go over well.

Suddenly Katara sat up.

“I know of one you could tell,” she said. “Remember what you told me went through your mind when you almost died, right before I healed you?”

He grimaced.

“That’s pretty morbid, I don’t think they or especially the kids will enjoy hearing the thoughts of a dying man.”

She shook her head and whispered the idea in his ear.

Huh. _That could work_ , he thought. It made sense to tell it, too, especially in light of his upcoming engagement gift to her. 

He nodded and took a minute to compose it all in his head before he spoke.

~*~*~

“The myth I’m about to tell you is one my mom used to tell me long ago, before she went missing,” he said, noticing everyone was listening to him now. “It used to be my favorite bedtime story as a kid.”

Hearing that the tale was meant for their age group, many of the children moved up closer to listen to him speak. He glanced over at Katara for help, but she gave him a smile and nod of encouragement.

He swallowed a little and continued, doing his best to sound like his uncle used to whenever he shared stories with him and Azula back when they were still young enough. 

“Do any of you know what a phoenix is?” he asked the children, unsurprised when they shook their heads.

He allowed himself a gentle smile, and he told them how the mythical bird was sometimes red and gold but could also be blue and purple, just like the Water Tribes’ sails.

“One thing you should know about the phoenix is that even though many relate it to fire, it’s actually associated more with the moon,” he explained, noting that seemed to impress his audience like he thought it might.

A child up front raised her hand and asked why it was related to the moon and fire since those were opposites.

He shared a brief smile with Katara.

"In the Water Tribe, you have Tui and La, the moon and ocean spirits, but where I come from we have a dragon spirit and a phoenix spirit instead. To us, the dragon represents Yang and the sun, and the phoenix represents Yin and the moon."

They nodded in understanding, and he continued.

“You see, the remarkable thing about the phoenix is what happens to it when it dies. It can live to be almost a thousand years old, some say, but like everything else it too grows old and weary.”

With that, he held out his palm and cautioned them to stay back. It was the first time during his return that he'd firebended in front of the tribe, not including the visit to see the Southern Lights, and he wanted to be as delicate about it as possible.

“When that happens, the phoenix catches fire and burns to ashes,” he said as a tiny flame flickered to life and carefully grew in his hand.

Several villagers raised their eyebrows but didn't say anything.

The children oohed and ahhed at the golden fire that now reflected in their eyes. He gently snuffed it out, leading to sounds of disappointment from them.

“While it’s on fire, you see, it falls to the ground,” he said, curling his hand into a fist and gently thumping it against the floor, splaying his fingers out on the wood. “Sometimes it builds a nest first before it catches fire, but more often than not it just crashes down.”

His young audience was completely enthralled now.

“You’d think that would be the end of the phoenix, wouldn’t you?” he asked the wide-eyed children. “But that’s the amazing thing about it. Do you want to know what happens next?”

They eagerly nodded. He slowly lifted his hand off the ground and turned his palm upward once more.

“You see, after the phoenix has burned away to nothingness, something miraculous happens. Out the ashes emerges the same phoenix reborn into a brand new body, completely resurrected."

He let another spark grow carefully within the palm of his hand until it was golden flame.

“Once it’s strong enough, it flies away and begins the cycle anew.”

Zuko carefully let it float up on its own into the air for a few feet before he safely snuffed it out.

“So you see, the phoenix can never truly die. It burns and crashes, but it rises every time, shining brighter than ever before.”

The children now gaped at him, mouths wide open.

“But that’s not all,” he added, smiling back at Katara once more. “Because the phoenix has the ability to revive itself, it also has the power to save others who are near death. Do you know how it does that?”

A few asked if it set the dying person on fire, to which he shook his head.

“No… a phoenix brings someone back to life not with fire, but with _water_ – more specifically, with its tears.”

He heard oohs and various sounds of wonderment coming from other parts of the crowd now, not just from the younger ones down in front. He was pretty sure he heard Sokka’s voice among them, too.

Another child raised their hand and asked the same question he’d wondered all of his life up until he took lightning to the heart.

“Mr. Fire Lord sir, what makes it come back to life?”

At that, he looked over at Katara and held her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“No one really knows,” he said solemnly. “Everyone has their own idea, but I don’t know if we’ll ever find out the answer.”

The same child looked unsatisfied by that non-answer.

“But what do _you_ think?” the boy insisted.

Zuko felt his face flush ever so slightly. He really wasn’t used to being mushy in front of others, but he hoped the tribe at least would appreciate him baring his soul.

If nothing else, Katara would think it was sweet, and in the end, that's all that mattered to him.

“Honestly?" he replied. "I think it might be love."

Several of the children made faces and sounds of disgust, drawing chuckles from the adults. The first girl raised her hand again.

"My daddy says you died protecting Miss Katara," she said. "How did you come back to life?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I came very, very close, but she brought me back," he said softly. "Remember what I said about how a phoenix saves someone? That's exactly what she did."

The children whispered amongst themselves before another girl spoke up.

“Do you love her?” she asked, pointed to Katara.

He smiled and looked back at her, heart pounding ever so slightly.

“With my whole heart,” he said softly, golden eyes meeting blue ones.

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined by several of the kids making sounds of disgust all over again. The rest of the adults laughed, and he joined them.

“You’ll change your mind one day,” he assured them.

The others applauded, and he looked down and blushed. But then he felt Katara squeeze his hand, and he felt brave enough to look up again, noting how almost all of them seemed to enjoy his story.

He felt her give him a quick kiss on the cheek and heard her whisper in his ear again.

“That was perfect,” she breathed.

He turned his head and gave her a quick, gentle kiss before she settled back beside him and he wrapped his arm around her once more. 

~*~*~

On the seventh day, two warriors who had not fought against Zuko were selected at random, and they accompanied him and Suki out to complete the ice dodging challenge.

Katara had decided to spar against her step-grandfather and former master to keep herself busy while they were gone and her nerves from frazzling, but it didn’t help as much as she’d hoped it would.

She grimaced as an ice spear just barely missed slicing her face open. 

“You’re distracted,” barked Pakku, as unrelenting and cold as the icebergs that Zuko and Suki were now facing somewhere in the South Pole's ocean. “Focus!” 

She pulled her hair back and tied it back up. 

“Can you blame me?” she retorted. 

If they failed or were denied the marks for some reason her father could always overturn the decision, but Hakoda highly doubted it would come to that.

Katara had faith that he - and by extension Suki - could pull it off, but she worried it still wouldn’t be enough for the tribe to fully accept Zuko as one of them.

They'd accepted their engagement, at least, even if some saw it as a political move, and he’d earned the warriors’ respect, but she wanted them to accept _him_ completely as well.

But she had no time to dwell on that, as Pakku sent another ice spear her way, which she countered with several of her own.

~*~*~

It was afternoon when they returned. Zuko and Suki looked exhausted but pleased, the boat was still in one piece, and the tribesmen seemed unharmed, so it was obvious they'd both passed.

Katara managed to give him a quick hug and kiss before the ceremony in the great hall where they would receive their marks.

"How was it?" she whispered, smoothing back his hair, and he smiled tiredly down at her.

"It got rough at times, but we pulled it off," he said quietly. "I think I'll get it, Katara."

"Of course you will. You passed the course; they have to give you the mark."

Before he could reply, though, he was whisked away and she was forced to sit down in the front row of the crowd.

Once everyone had settled in, Chief Hakoda explained the history behind the rite of passage and what the three marks represented.

The Mark of the Brave symbolized inspirational displays of courage while the Mark of the Wise was bestowed upon those who demonstrated the ability to make decisions and showed true leadership under pressure.

He explained how he had received the Mark of the Wise when he was younger, as did his son during his own challenge, and how Katara received the Mark of the Brave.

Both of those marks were reserved solely for members of the tribe, he said. No outsider would receive either of them.

The third was the Mark of the Trusted, which he explained Aang received when he participated in Sokka's challenge years ago. It was given to outsiders who proved themselves to be worthy of the Water Tribe's trust.

He said it was this mark that both Zuko and Suki had striven for.

With that, he nodded to the two tribesmen who'd taken them out and sat down between Katara and Sokka, with Toph and Aang seated nearby.

Suki was called first and, as expected, received the Mark of the Trusted while they explained how she had shown a steady hand during the roughest waters.

Sokka led the cheers when she turned to face the crowd, blushing slightly but beaming.

Then a silence fell when they called Zuko next. Katara suddenly felt queasy even as he gave her a quick wink, looking far more composed and a bit more confident than she felt. 

He looked down and allowed himself a humble smile as they recalled how he'd fearlessly led them through the course, making quick decisions that guided them to safety unharmed.

When it came time for them to give him the mark, however, they stopped.

“Fire Lord Zuko,” said one. “You have passed the challenge set before you with flying colors... but we do not grant you the Mark of the Trusted.”

~*~*~

There was a collective gasp and murmuring throughout the room. No one had ever been denied a mark after passing the challenge. 

He snapped his head upwards, looking first at them, then at Katara, then at Hakoda, then back at them in confusion.

"I... I don't understand," he said after a moment.

He tried to sound authoritative but it probably came out pathetic and weak.

He knew Katara was seething from her seat, but suddenly he couldn't look at her. Even though he'd done his best and passed, it somehow still hadn't been enough.

The first man started to speak again but was interrupted by her father, echoing the question on everyone’s mind.

“May we ask why he was denied?” Hakoda asked, sounding far calmer than Katara could have managed at the moment.

The two men looked at each other and nodded. 

“With all due respect, Chief Hakoda, we realized during the course that while he did indeed complete it satisfactorily, that title did not suit him.” 

The only thing stopping Katara from yelling out or storming towards them was her father’s hand gripping her shoulder, holding her back.

Zuko’s face crumpled but he instantly recovered, nodding solemnly. 

“I see,” he said a quiet voice, lowering his head and closing his eyes.

Of course. They may have accepted their engagement, and he’d fought hard to earn the warriors’ respect, but he'd been foolish to even hope they'd ever accept him as one of their own.

“We recognize our decision is unusual but then again, we’ve never had a Fire Lord offer to participate in this rite of passage before, which in itself is unorthodox. Do you accept our judgement, Lord Zuko?” 

He nodded, forcing himself to look up and face them directly, steeling his expression to be neutral. If nothing else, he would accept defeat with some manner of dignity.

“Will you not attempt to challenge it?” asked the second man, frowning.

Zuko shook his head.

“If that is your decision... then I accept it,” he said hollowly, feeling shame coil inside his belly. "I'm an outsider, and it's not my place to challenge your decision, at least regarding this matter or any of your customs. I do thank you for your consideration, though."

Katara exchanged looks with her brother, Aang, and Suki, noting they looked just as outraged as she felt. She barely contained herself from shaking in righteous indignation as the warrior spoke once more, addressing Zuko directly.

"Before this meeting, my comrade and I came to a mutual decision regarding whether or not to grant you the mark, but first there was one final test that you were unaware of."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves as Zuko looked up at the two, confused. The other tribesman spoke before he could question what they'd tested him on. 

“A good leader knows when to fight and when to back down, when to challenge and when to accept things that are beyond their control, which the Fire Lord has just demonstrated.” 

The other man continued.

"Most importantly, given our nations' history, we wanted to see how he would react to being denied what he thought he'd rightfully earned. Would he react in violence? Would he demand recognition? Would he insult us or our customs? Instead, he did none of those things. He was respectful and accepted our judgement."

Both men nodded at each other before addressing her father directly.

“We combined those factors with what we've learned of his character today while facing the unforgiving icy waters, as well as what we've learned from him this past week. We also considered what we've been told by you, Master Pakku, and your children of how he's proven loyalty to you and your family time and time again at great personal risk. That led to our decision."

"With your blessing, Chief Hakoda, we wish to grant him the Mark of the Wise instead.” 

~*~*~

Zuko's jaw dropped and at the moment it didn't matter to him how undignified he must look. He blocked out the gasps of shock from the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Katara's hands clasped over her mouth, her eyes flooding with happy tears.

"I... I don't understand," he managed to say once again, his voice hoarse. "I thought that wasn't given to outsiders?"

Finally, they allowed themselves to smile.

"Well," one said. "Consider this your official welcome to the Southern Water Tribe, Lord Zuko."

He just stood there, dumbfounded as they drew the mark on his forehead. Once they finished, he surprised them both by pulling them in for a hug, which they reciprocated with a laugh.

"You could have been a little less dramatic," he said grinning, chuckling as well.

Zuko thanked them once more as the tribe applauded, with a few loud whoops from his friends. 

Then out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar flash of blue rushing towards him, and he let go of them just in time to turn around before Katara nearly bowled him over.

His ribs were still a bit sore from fighting the best warriors the tribe had to offer just two days prior and from the toll of the challenge just a few hours ago. He didn’t care about any of that, though.

She wrapped him up in a tight embrace which he returned, resting his cheek against her hair.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered, and his heart swelled.

He couldn't find the words to speak, so he just kissed her gently as the crowd continued cheering.


	4. Schemes and Surprises

A few days before he was scheduled to present Katara with her engagement present, Zuko pulled Sokka aside for a few minutes.

“Did Suki find out anything?” he whispered.

Sokka nodded. She’d been tasked with a secret mission to find out as much about Katara’s wedding gown and robes as she could once they’d returned to the South Pole.

“But you know, I don’t think the groom is supposed to know what the dress looks like beforehand,” he said, raising his eyebrow.

The groom in question shook his head.

“I don’t need to know all of the specifics. I just want to know if they’re going to let her wear any blue or if it’s going to be all Fire Nation colors.”

Sokka frowned slightly.

“Katara can still keep her necklace, but they told her any colors she does wear besides white will be reds or golds. She’s been debating with the stylists about keeping her hair loops too, but if they let her they’ll probably be pinned back with something other than the blue beads.”

At that, Zuko groaned and pressed his palm to his forehead. He’d really hoped the royal stylists would have given her a little leeway or least let her acknowledge some of her Southern Water Tribe heritage, but that was looking unlikely.

Even though he was Fire Lord, he still had no say over what she would wear during the ceremony – he’d already tried talking with Nijiko and the other seamstresses about it beforehand to no avail.

“I just hate the thought of her not having anything blue for her wedding,” Zuko said quietly.

“Yeah, me too,” Sokka agreed with a frown.

Zuko looked around to make sure no one was close enough to eavesdrop.

“Listen, do you think you can pull your dad aside at some point, so the three of us can talk in private? I’ve got an idea, but I want to run it by both of you first to get your thoughts.”

~*~*~

Later that day, Hakoda found himself whisked away to a corner of the training grounds by his son and future son-in-law.

“What’s this about?” he asked once they were safely out of earshot from any curious minds. “Not having seconds thoughts, are you?”

Zuko shook his head a bit nervously. 

“No sir… I had an idea and I wanted to run it by you and Sokka first to get your input to make sure it’s not inappropriate or overstepping any boundaries.”

Hakoda resisted the urge to quip he’d already had a conversation with him just a few days ago about boundaries concerning his daughter, instead waiting patiently for him to continue.

“You see, I’ve learned from Suki, who’s talked to Katara, that she may not be able to wear anything Water Tribe-related the day of the wedding, besides her necklace."

The chief frowned as he continued.

"Believe me, I really, really hate that. Apparently I can’t force the stylists’ hand on this, so I wanted to make sure there was something there representing her homeland.”

Hakoda and Sokka looked at each other.

“What did you have in mind?” her father asked.

Zuko took a deep breath before he continued.

“You’re going to think I’m crazy, but…” and their eyes widened in shock when he told them.

“Will they even let you do that?” Sokka asked, gaping.

“They’ll definitely have their objections, but apparently, my robes are one thing I can have a say in when it comes to my own wedding," he explained. "If worst comes to worst, I can conveniently leave out what color they'll be until right before."

He was expected to wear his traditional formal robes anyway, so it’s not like they were making him anything new for the ceremony.

Her father and brother looked at each other for a long time before smiling back at him.

“I think that can be arranged,” Hakoda said, and Sokka nodded. “We’ll probably have to get my mother’s help to pull it off, but she can keep a secret.”

“We’ll make sure it gets to you in plenty of time before the wedding, too,” Sokka added. “I’ll personally guarantee it.”

Zuko smiled at them in relief and pulled them both in for a hug.

“Thank you both so much,” he whispered. “I just want her to be happy.”

They nodded, each clapping him on the back. He hesitated for a moment before he decided to run headfirst into yet another insane idea.

“There’s something else I've recently thought of that I'd like to do, if it can be arranged,” he said, his heart pounding. “And you’re really going to think this one is crazy...”

~*~*~

The next day, Zuko pulled Katara aside for a private conversation outside of her family's house.

“So,” he began while holding her hands in his, thumbs massaging her palms through the gloves. “When you were a little girl, did you ever picture what your wedding would be like?”

She grinned.

“Not really,” she admitted. “There were a few small things I wanted, but overall I just wanted to marry the man of my dreams… which I’m going to do in less than a year.”

She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.

“Why do you ask?”

His heart started pounding once more and he hoped he sounded calm.

“I’m curious. I like to know things, remember?”

“Is that all?” she asked, raising her eyebrow.

“That’s all,” he lied, thankful Toph wasn’t around to call him out. “When I was little, I didn’t really think about weddings, but the few times I pictured my own, I would ride in on a dragon and fight off some would-be suitors with swords who wanted to steal my bride away right before I walked down the aisle.”

She stared at him for a beat before cracking up.

“Don’t laugh,” he chided playfully. “I was maybe five or six at the time.”

Katara continued giggling in spite of herself.

“That’s not going to happen at our wedding, is it?” she asked, more than a little relieved when he shook his head.

“Of course not. But that was what I pictured in my head when I was young. I just want to know what you wanted as a kid.”

She smiled and looked off to the side for a minute, recalling her childhood memories.

“Just the basics, I guess… I wanted my dad to walk me down an aisle, and I wanted all of the tribe to be there, too. I wanted to wear the prettiest blue and white dress, and I wanted to get married outside in the snow under the moonlight. Then I wanted to dance with my new husband all night long until my feet hurt so much that he had to carry me away.”

She stopped, noting the way his eyes had crinkled up in happiness as he listened to her talk. 

“It’s a lot less dramatic than yours,” she said, laughing again. “But I think it’ll be easier to pull off. My dad’s giving me away, my dress is mostly white, and we’ll get to dance afterwards.”

He glanced down and sighed.

"Katara... are you sure you're happy with a traditional Fire Nation wedding? I don't want you to feel like your heritage is being erased."

She frowned slightly.

"I mean, it would be nice if they let me include more blues at least, but I understand their reasoning. I'm supposed to celebrate my new home, so I'll be wearing reds and golds."

"But what about _your_ home? Where _you_ come from?"

She squeezed his hands.

"I knew what I was getting into when I said yes," was all she said, and he frowned at that. “Zuko, it’s okay. I can’t wait to get married to you. Besides, you’re really going to love the dress as much as I do. I promise that you’re going to lose your breath when you see me.”

He looked up at her and gave her a lopsided smile. It wasn't okay, they both knew that, but he knew a way to make it up to her.

“I just want you to have the wedding you always wanted,” he said softly, squeezing her hands. “You’re absolutely sure, too? You can always back out or change your mind-”

But she held her finger up to his lips.

“Yes, Zuko… as long as I have you there, that’s all I need,” she assured him, giving him a long, tender kiss.

~*~*~

A few days after he proposed for the second time and presented his engagement gift, Zuko surprised her one morning by telling her they were going on a date that night.

“Oh really?” she asked with a grin. “Can I ask where?”

He shook his head mysteriously.

“Nope. Just be ready at sundown. I’m taking you out to dinner in the village, so you don’t have to worry about eating beforehand.”

She was properly intrigued now.

“What about my clothes? How dressed up do I have to get?”

“Just wear your favorite blue dress and even your crown if you’d like,” he replied with a wink. “Whatever you feel prettiest in.”

~*~*~

Katara had just finished getting ready and touching up her makeup when she heard a knock coming from the main door.

She looked over at Suki and Toph, who’d insisted on helping her get ready for her date, but they just shrugged.

“Better go see who it is,” Toph said nonchalantly, as if she couldn’t already tell with her earthbending senses.

Katara’s lip twitched in realization, and as she walked out into the main room, she saw her family putting on their best surprised faces. Sokka had disappeared somewhere earlier to work on some project with Aang, and she knew if he'd been there he would have been even more over-the-top.

“Wonder who it could be at this hour?” her father asked with a grin, and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re all terrible actors,” she announced, straightening her phoenix crown as she walked to the door.

She also couldn't believe Zuko had actually gotten ready and snuck outside just to make an entrance.

When she opened the door, she wasn’t surprised to find one suavely dressed Fire Lord leaning against the frame. He’d clearly been aiming for a smooth greeting, but he stood straight up when he saw her, his eyes widening.

“Wow,” he whispered, his voice suddenly hoarse. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

“You’re not so bad looking yourself, Sifu Hotman,” she replied, looking him up and down.

Zuko had broken out the nicest crimson and gold tunic and pants he’d packed, and it was the first time he’d worn them all trip long. He hadn't wanted to look like he was rubbing his nobility in their faces, but now he truly did look like royalty, Katara thought to herself.

He was too distracted admiring the way her blue dress fit her in all of the right places, how brightly she was smiling, and how overall _stunning_ she looked to notice what she’d called him.

He was happy to see that she'd worn her hair like she had back when he joined their side and tucked the phoenix crown into the bun. His heart pounded in his chest, and he knew it would be only the first of many times that evening.

“Ready to go?” he asked, suddenly terrified when she nodded.

She turned back to her family and friends and said her goodbyes, telling them she’d see them later tonight.

“Have her back at a decent time!” Hakoda called out, playing his role of her protective father perfectly.

Before Zuko completely closed the door, he exchanged a smile with all of them and gave a quick nod of his head, which went unnoticed by Katara.

~*~*~ 

“So, where exactly are you taking me?” she asked for what felt like the millionth time as he led her through the village, their hands clasped together. 

“Just hold on, we're almost there,” he assured her. “You’re not so hungry you’re going to pass out, are you? Because there’s something I want to show you first.”

“I’m fine, but my curiosity is killing me! Can I get a hint?”

Once again he shook his head and answered her questions as coyly as possible.

"Can't I walk around with my beautiful fiancee on my arm in her hometown?" he asked, winking.

At last he stopped when they reached a newly-constructed house near the center of the village that was a bit larger than her family's home.

“Do you know what this?” he asked softly, stopping and taking both of her hands in his.

She glanced at it and shook her head. She’d seen it being built over the last few months but she hadn't thought anything of it.

He suddenly looked nervous.

“Whenever we visit the tribe after we’re married… this is going to be ours,” he said, feeling a swell of pride as she gasped. “It’s still close enough to your family’s house, but this way we have more room for ourselves and for guests…”

“And for our kids too,” she whispered.

His eyes widened, and when she saw his facial expression she giggled.

“Oh, no, no, no, we’re not expecting or anything right now. I'm just saying eventually.”

He nodded and exhaled slowly. 

"Scared me for a second there."

"Sorry," she laughed. "But for what it's worth, I think you'll be an amazing dad some day."

He smiled and gave her a long hug, resting his cheek against her hair.

"I'll try," he whispered, and she kissed his cheek.

"You _will_ be," she assured him. "No matter how many we end up having." 

He was feeling much more confident now after seeing her reaction to the house and hearing her talk about their future.

“Want to see the inside?” he asked, and she nodded, grinning.

She was amazed to discover it was somewhat decorated already, with traditional Southern Water Tribe artifacts in most of the rooms. 

He lit the fire pit in the center of the house to warm them up, and she immediately felt at home as she explored.

Katara raised her eyebrow at him when she noticed the bed had already been set up and covered with blankets and pelts. Zuko saw her face and smirked.

“Want to break it in?” he asked, receiving a playful nudge.

“Maybe after dinner,” she teased. “I just got all dressed up, and you should at least show me off first before you ravish me.”

He just grinned, pulling her in for a kiss.

~*~*~

To her surprise, when they left the house he led away from all of the places to eat, instead guiding her in the direction of one of the village's new parks.

It wasn't grand or flashy, but it did have a decent-sized area for people to gather and a few frozen stone fountains, constructed as presents courtesy of Aang and Toph in the last week.

There were also lanterns and torches throughout the park, which she assumed Zuko would light once they arrived since it looked completely dark. At least the full moon was out tonight, although it was currently hidden by a large cloud.

“Are we going to eat out here?” she asked, thoroughly confused when he shook his head.

He paused, holding her hands in his once more.

“I just want to be absolutely sure,” he said anxiously. “Are you positive you want to marry me? Because as much as I want this, I also want you to be happy and not feel pressured-”

“Zuko, _yes_ ,” she insisted, rolling her eyes in mild exasperation. “I love you, and I’m not going to change my mind. Why do you keep asking?”

He suddenly looked terrified and ecstatic all at once.

“Because there’s something else I wanted to do before dinner,” he whispered. "Have you figured it out yet?"

She shook her head, completely confused. He exhaled the way he did when he was nervous, and he gently squeezed her hands.

"I can't give you a moonlit wedding in the snow when we're back in the Fire Nation," he said softly. "But I _can_ do that _here."_

_~*~*~_

Time seemed to slow for her as her mouth opened in realization. He smiled and nodded at her reaction.

"Wait... are you saying-"

"I want you to have the wedding you've always dreamed about, Katara."

Her hand flew to her mouth. 

"Are you serious?"

He nodded.

"As serious as I've ever been."

She couldn't speak, so she just pulled him in for a tight embrace.

"We'll still have the big, elaborate ceremony in the Fire Nation," he explained, hugging her. "Because of my title and all of the legalities that come with it, the Fire Sages won't consider this a binding contract."

She nodded.

"So I still won't be Fire Lady?" she asked, and he shook his head with a smile.

"Not yet, but tonight is about you and me, not a Fire Lord or a master waterbender. It's about Zuko and Katara, and letting you have the wedding you've always wanted in the snow with the entire village as witness."

He looked down at her.

"Do you want to?"

"Of course! But did you say tonight? As in, tonight." 

"No time like the present."

He couldn't stop the grin spreading on his face as her jaw dropped again.

"But _how_?"

"I've got that all arranged. If you want to get married tonight, sweetheart, just say yes and I’ll make it happen."

She immediately nodded her head and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"I do," she breathed, and his heart stopped for just a moment before pounding once more.

He kissed her again, holding her in a close embrace. Then he pulled away and turned towards the park.

Zuko took a deep breath and concentrated his bending to light all of the torches and lanterns in the area until the snowy park was bathed in a warm glow.

"Let's do this, then," he said a bit breathlessly as he turned back to her. "Let's get married."

~*~*~

From somewhere in the darkness behind them she heard her brother's voice.

"So we're on? The Team Steam Wedding is good to go?"

Zuko rolled his eyes at the name but grinned.

"It's on!" he called out in his direction.

Immediately the cloud overhead dissipated, letting the moonlight shine down upon the park, and Katara realized they weren’t alone. Their friends emerged from their hiding places in the dark, beaming at her shocked reaction.

Sokka was the first to reach them and pulled them both into a massive bear hug. The rest of their friends immediately followed, and the six huddled together, laughing and talking excitedly.

"Okay! We've still got a lot to do," her brother announced after a minute, taking charge. "We've already given the village a heads up, but we need to let them know it's definitely happening tonight."

Katara looked at them in astonishment.

"Wait, so everyone knew about this except for me?"

"Something like that," Zuko said with a wink. "We told them there was a big surprise for you tonight so they'd be ready, but we didn't specify what."

Her brain was still struggling to comprehend everything.

”What if I’d said I wanted to wait?” 

"Dance party, part two!” Toph exclaimed.

Katara felt a little light-headed.

"We need an elder to officiate... did you ask one of them?"

"Not yet," Aang explained. "But I thought an Avatar might work better. Besides, I’m 115, so technically I’m the eldest person here.”

Her jaw dropped and she felt tears form in the corners of her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he nodded happily.

Her brother snapped his fingers.

"We're losing time here, people," he said, bringing them to attention. "Everyone except for the bride and groom, spread out!"

Then it was just the two of them, standing in the snow beneath the golden lights overhead as flurries swirled around them.

"You okay?” he asked her, chuckling. 

She just shook her head. 

“This doesn’t seem real...” she whispered. “Are you sure this isn’t a dream?” 

He pulled her in for a kiss, and she giggled.

“What do you think?” he said in that husky voice she loved next to her ear.

“It’s even better,” she declared, closing her eyes as his warm arms embraced her. 

~*~*~

If you asked Katara what she remembered most about her Water Tribe wedding afterwards, she would say it was all a happy blur.

She couldn't recall the specific words they said, and all of the smiling faces in the crowd blended together.

But she did remember how her father gave her arm a gentle squeeze right before he walked her down the aisle, where her brother and friends waited for her, along with Zuko.

Katara remembered the way his crimson and gold stood out in stark contrast to all of her blues and silvers, and how their opposing colors somehow fit together perfectly. 

She also remembered the way he smiled down at her as the moonlight shone overhead and snowflakes fell around them as they exchanged their vows.

Finally, she remembered how her _husband_ held her gently in his arms afterwards for a long, tender kiss as their witnesses cheered.

He rested his forehead against hers, his eyes half closed in happiness.

"Will our future dates always be this surprising?" she teased, and he grinned.

"Not quite, but I'll still try to take your breath away every time," he whispered. "Ready for that dinner now?"

She giggled.

"I'm starving. Let's go."

~*~*~

Their first meal together as husband and wife was nowhere near as refined as what they'd enjoy later at their Fire Nation ceremony, but both would say it was still just as delicious. 

Together with their friends and family, they dined on traditional Southern Water Tribe cuisine at her favorite cafeteria, and the drinks flowed freely.

Some of the warriors even took a liking to the Fire Nation whiskey he brought, and he enjoyed their ice cold vodka as well.

"You know, the first time I ever tried their whiskey I spat it back out," Katara said, laughing along with the others.

Then to Zuko's surprise, she took a sip of it and actually smiled instead of grimacing. 

"But then it grew on me," she said, winking at his reaction. "Much like other people."

Nearly the entire village turned out to celebrate with them, and the cafeterias were forced to turn many away to prevent overcrowding.

But after dinner, they gathered again in the park to dance the rest of the night away. She learned later that he'd enlisted the help of local musicians as well, so they would have songs to dance to. 

Zuko still was uncertain as he did his best to keep up with the Southern Water Tribe dances, but they all chuckled in understanding and Katara gave him smiles of encouragement, so he thought he'd at least made her proud.

Then he got to show off what dances he _could_ do, spinning and dipping her as she squealed in happiness. He also requested some slower music as well, and eventually she rested her head against his shoulder, just like the night of the beach party.

He later exchanged a knowing smile with his wife and his brother-in-law when they noticed that Aang and Toph had danced together for nearly every song. 

"I think we'll get to do this all over again in the future," he murmured when Sokka and Suki danced near them, and the three nodded happily.

~*~*~

At one point during the evening, Katara found herself pulled into a dance with her father.

"I heard you saw the house," he said after a minute. "Do you like it?"

She beamed up at him. "Dad, I love it. Did you have anything to do with it?"

"Of course! What else do you think Zuko and I correspond about?"

They laughed and he paused to give her a warm hug.

"Granted, I wasn't expecting you to move into it so soon, and I don't think he was, either. This wedding was a last-minute idea from him, but I'm pleased with how it turned out."

"Me too, Dad. I'm so happy."

He smiled down at his daughter, albeit a little sadly.

"That's all I wanted to hear," he said softly.

Katara was also surprised to learn that all of their things had already been packed up and transported to the new house.

"It's all taken care of," Suki assured her. "When you leave tonight, just go and enjoy yourselves, and we'll see you two in the morning."

She pulled her future sister-in-law in for a big hug, and the two friends shared a giggle.

"I couldn't have asked for a better sister or a better friend," Katara said. "I can't wait for your wedding in a few months. It's going to be beautiful."

Suki just giggled again and gave her soon-to-be sister another hug.

"Just don't make me an aunt yet before the other ceremony," she teased. "You've still got another dress to fit into."

Katara rolled her eyes but laughed with her.

~*~*~

Katara danced all night long with her husband, just like she'd always wanted as a little girl, until her feet were sore. Not that she cared about the discomfort, mind you.

When it was all over, she was walking more daintily than usual as they bid their goodbyes and good nights to their family and friends, which Zuko instantly noticed. 

"So, you danced on your wedding night until your feet hurt, just like you always wanted," he said, beaming. "I think that's my cue."

He scooped her up in his arms and she laughed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

She laughed again as he actually carried her all the way back to their new home.

"I can't believe you seriously did all that just for me," she said, kissing his cheek.

He gave her a playful smirk. 

"You should see what else I'll do just for you later tonight," he promised, and she giggled.

He carefully carried her over the threshold once they arrived, pausing after they were inside to kiss her.

"Welcome home," he whispered, grinning at her.

He set her down gently on a soft pelt and lit the fire pit again.

"Are you cold?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Never been warmer," she said.

He winked at her. "I doubt that," he replied.

Zuko rummaged around in the cupboards, eventually pulling out presents he'd packed from his uncle.

"There's no food yet if you get hungry later, but we do have tea," he said, holding up a teapot and cups courtesy of Iroh himself.

Katara just smiled and walked over to her husband's side.

"That's all we need," she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him before leading him towards their bedroom.

~*~*~

True to his nature, Zuko awoke the next morning as the sun crested over the horizon and smiled down at his sleeping wife in his arms.

He gave her a gentle kiss as she hummed sleepily against him.

"G'morning," she whispered, not opening her eyes.

"Morning, sweetheart," he whispered back, settling back under the covers and closing his eyes again, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her in closer.

They had less than two weeks before he was scheduled to leave for the Fire Nation without her, and he didn't want to waste a single moment.

But first, he would enjoy resting in her arms for a bit longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Technically I never said they *didn’t* get married before the Fire Nation ceremony, did I? 😉
> 
> Look, I just really wanted to give her a semi-proper Water Tribe wedding but didn’t have enough time while writing the main series to do it justice. I also didn’t want to include it as a throwaway line either, hence my entire motivation for this fic.
> 
> Since the Fire Sages wouldn’t consider it a binding legal contract, with him being a Fire Lord and all, this way it still fits into my own canon, sort of. Just like I bend the official canon, I bend my own too!


	5. Farewells

Over the next several days, Fire Lord Zuko learned even more about how the Southern Water Tribe had fun.

His wife took him penguin sledding, which he enjoyed immensely even though he expected to hate it.

By the end of that day his hair was practically slicked back from the snow and the wind, and even though Katara teased him a little, it was worth it to hear her laugh.

Then his friends introduced him to snowball fights, which he excelled at.

He and Katara made a formidable team, quickly taking down others with her waterbending and his tactician skills.

She "accidentally" hit him a few times, though, bursting into laughter at his reaction as he rolled his eyes and brushed snow out of his hair.

The tribe also held a few more parties as well, and although he never could get the hang of their dances, he still gave it his best effort, which was enough for them.

And at night, after he and Katara had completely exhausted themselves, he curled up beside his wife and held her close, listening to her breathing slow down as she fell asleep in the moonlight.

~*~*~

The days flew by all too soon, and before they knew it, the time had come for him to depart along with Aang and Toph. They'd drop him off at the Fire Nation before returning to the new Air Temple.

Sokka and Suki would stay in the Southern Water Tribe with Katara for another couple of months before they too would leave, departing for Kyoshi Island.

The six friends would reunite at her brother’s wedding, and afterwards Katara would return to the Fire Nation with Zuko for their own ceremony. 

Once he'd said his goodbyes to everyone else, Zuko stood holding her in his arms on the docks beside Appa, neither wanting to be the first to let go.

He held her closer when he felt her shiver and raised his body temperature slightly.

"Cold?" he whispered, and she shook her head.

"Trying not to cry," she whispered as he hugged her even tighter.

"Me too."

Both knew they would only be apart for a few months, but still they held each other, whispering affirmations of love only they could hear.

They'd taken their time getting ready that morning, finding excuses to stop and hold each other a bit longer before they finally left for the docks.

He had been worried about her staying alone, but luckily Suki and Sokka volunteered to be their first house guests to keep her company.

She sighed and gave him a squeeze.

"As much as I hate myself for saying this... you really do need to leave soon. We're wasting daylight."

He shook his head and kissed her hair.

"I can't let you go," he whispered.

"Me either... but we have to."

He finally pulled his head back and gave her a sad smile.

"I'll write to you every day," he vowed. "Maybe even more than that."

"Already beat you to it," she said, forcing herself to smile.

She pulled a sealed letter from her coat pocket and gave it to him.

"But don't open it until you really, really miss me, so badly that it hurts," she said.

He nodded, tucking it into his pocket and kissed her tenderly for a long time, not caring that everyone was watching them now.

Finally, he somehow found the strength to pull away from her, although it nearly killed him to do so. But still he held her hands, rubbing her palms with his thumbs.

"I love you," he said quietly.

“Love you too,” she whispered back, and a few tears finally spilled from her eyes.

Immediately he wrapped his arms around her once again, murmuring assurances in her ear and kissing all over her face until she composed herself.

"You know my dad and everyone is watching, right?" she teased even though her heart ached.

"I don't care," he said, smiling hollowly back. "Let them."

~*~*~

At long last, Aang gave the command and Appa ascended, carrying the Avatar, the world's greatest earthbender, a lemur, and the Fire Lord away from the South Pole.

Zuko's eyes never left Katara's, and he kept them focused in her direction even after she and the Southern Water Tribe faded away into a small blue blur on the sunlit snowy tundra.

Once they’d risen above the clouds and he could no longer see the earth below, he pulled her letter from his coat pocket.

"That was quick," Toph said when she heard the rustling paper, although her tone was more gentle than teasing.

He just smiled sadly and read its contents over and over, until he could have recited them by memory as his two companions talked amongst themselves.

At one point Aang glanced back and saw him discreetly wiping his eye but didn't say anything.

Katara had written him pages upon pages affirming her love for him, and the last two were sketches she’d commissioned a local artist to draw. 

The first one he knew about - it was a drawing of the six friends, laughing and posing in the park just a few days ago.

The second was a surprise - the same artist had been there the night of the wedding and sketched a portrait of the two of them holding hands as they recited their vows. 

He knew he would treasure them forever, especially the latter. 

~*~*~

Zuko finally folded the letter and drawings up and tucked them back into his coat, right over his heart.

He scooted up to the front of the saddle to join Aang and Toph’s conversation.

"Need a break?" he asked. "I know it hasn't been that long, but I could use a distraction."

"Sure thing, Sifu Hotman!" Aang said as cheerily as possible, and for once Zuko actually smiled at that ridiculous nickname.

The Avatar stopped Appa long enough for them to swap out, and once Aang was settled beside Toph in the saddle, they took off again.

He glanced back and gave his friend a conspiratorial wink, grinning in approval when he saw Aang ever-so-casually slip his arm around Toph’s shoulders.

Zuko turned around to face the journey ahead and breathed deeply. _Only a few more months_ , he thought to himself. Then they’d never have to be apart ever again.

He rested his hand over his heart for a moment, hearing the crinkling paper even through the thick layers of his coat and the rushing of the wind.

His strength resolved, the Fire Lord continued guiding their group back towards his home and the future as the winter sunlight shone down on them.


End file.
